Watson set to return; Teague shares ballot with Libertarian

Wednesday

Mar 7, 2018 at 2:00 PMMar 7, 2018 at 2:28 PM

One member of the Arkansas General Assembly representing Hempstead and Nevada Counties, who was up for reelection in 2018, apparently will not face any opponents and return to office for another term as the dust settled from statewide filing completed last Thursday.

Rick Kennedy

One member of the Arkansas General Assembly representing Hempstead and Nevada Counties, who was up for reelection in 2018, apparently will not face any opponents and return to office for another term as the dust settled from statewide filing completed last Thursday.State Representative Danny Watson, a Republican, who represents both Hempstead and Nevada counties as part of State House District 3, did not draw an opponent for either the May 22 Primary or November 4 General Elections.In State Senate District 10, which also covers Hempstead and parts of Nevada County, incumbent Senator Larry Teague, a Democrat, appeared ready to join Watson in returning as he was not challenged by a major Democrat or Republican opponent, but updated information Monday did reveal that Teague drew one minor opponent, Bobbi Hicks, a Libertarian from Mena.Another Hempstead and Nevada office, Prosecuting Attorney, District 08-North, however, will have an election as incumbent Prosecuting Attorney Christi McQueen will face off with challenger Angilynn Taylor in what is labeled a “Non-Partisan Judicial” race.In the United State Congress, District 4, which includes both Hempstead and Nevada counties, incumbent Representative Bruce Westerman, a Republican, will face both a GOP challenger, Randy Caldwell, in the May 22 Primary, and later, a Democratic challenger, Hayden Catherine Shamel, in the November 6 General Election.Four other challengers will also apparently appear on the ballot against Westerman, a grouping that includes Tom Canada, a Libertarian from Scranton; Susan Ann Martin, an apparent write-in from Hamburg; Lee McQueen, an Independent from nearby Texarkana, and Jack Foster, an Independent from Pine Bluff.Several other state offices will see competitive races, both in the May 22 Primary, and November 6 General Election, including:There will be four major candidates squaring off for Arkansas Governor. Within his own Republican Party, incumbent Governor Asa Hutchinson faces a May 22 Primary challenge from gun activist Jan Morgan. In the Democratic Party, a field of two contenders emerged, Leticia Sanders and Jared K. Henderson; Sanders and Henderson will also face off in the May 22 Primary for the right to face the winner between Hutchinson and Morgan in the GOP field.Incumbent Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a Republican, will face a challenger Mike Lee, a Democrat, in the November 6 General Election. There will also be one minor opponent, Kerry Hicks, a Libertarian from Mena.For term-limited Commissioner of State Lands, John Thurston, two major candidates, Larry Williams, a Democratic, and Tommy Land, a Republican, will also face off in the November 6 General Election. There will also be one minor opponent, T.J. Campbell, a Libertarian from Bentonville.The Lieutenant Governor’s race will also see a direct head-to-head election between a Republican and Democrat in the General Election as incumbent Lt. Governor Tim Griffin, a Republican, faces challenger Anthony Bland, a Democrat. There will also be one minor opponent, Frank Gilbert, a Libertarian from Tull.Three major candidates filed for Secretary of State for the term-limited Mark Martin. Susan Inman filed as a Democratic, but she will have to await the outcome of the May 22 Primary as two Republicans, John Thurston and current State Representative Trevor Drown face off. Inman will face the winner between Thurston and Drown in November as will a minor candidate, Christopher Olson, a Libertarian from Viola.Two statewide financial offices, Auditor and Treasurer, saw no major challengers, but the current incumbents, Auditor Andrea Lea, and Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan, both Republicans, did draw two Libertarian candidates.David E. Dinwiddie, of Pine Bluff, is the Libertarian challenging Lea, while Ashley Ewald, of Uniontown, is the Libertarian on the ballot facing Milligan.Candidates who filed as Independents still have until May 1 to submit petitions to qualify for the ballot, so some of those filings are apparently subject to change, and the Write-in candidates, such as Martin in the Fourth Congressional District race against Westerman, must notify all counties in which they are running of their candidacy in order for votes for them to be counted.Of regional interest, State Senator Joyce Elliott, who was born and raised in Nevada County and visited Hope for a Black History speech, will also return for another term, unopposed, in State Senate District 31. Elliott is a Democrat, who now resides in Little Rock, but enjoys a statewide following as one of the prominent voices of the state Democratic Party.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.